Harborfest
Christopher Columbus Park 100 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA, United StatesAmerica's Finest Fourth of July Festival
Across the State of Massachusetts, communities and institutions are celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution with events, exhibits, special tours, programs, festivals, performances, and much more. Bookmark this page to join events and celebrations statewide.
America's Finest Fourth of July Festival
Concord Reading of the Declaration of Independence
Start your July 4th Holiday by observing the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts (AHAC) Fourth of July Parade.
The Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Boston, MA is a cherished tradition that brings history to life. Held annually, this event gathers crowds in historic locations such as Faneuil Hall or the Old State House to witness the powerful words of the founding document being recited. With passionate speakers and a reverent atmosphere, this reading commemorates the spirit of liberty and serves as a reminder of the ideals that shaped the nation's journey towards independence.
4th of July Parade and Reading of the Declaration of Independence
Lincoln 4th of July Parade
Picnic
Declaring Independence, Then and Now
The Boston Pops July 4th Spectacular is returning for 2024! The Boston Pops July 4th Spectacular is slated to take place at the Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade starting at 8:00pm. Keith Lockhart will lead a program featuring the Boston Pops orchestra with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and R&B/soul singer Darlene Love, […]
Countdown to the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, the first battle of the Revolutionary War
250th Event
The Concord Museum will offer free admission for visitors to visit the immersive April 19, 1775 gallery to see one of the original “One if by land, two if by sea” lanterns hung in the North Church as a signal on the night of Paul Revere's famous midnight ride.
Countdown to the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, the first battle of the Revolutionary War
The National Parks of Boston and Plays in Place are excited to announce the production of the first play in the Suffrage in Black and White series At the Massachusetts State House, on February 21, 1838, exiled Southerner Angelina Grimké becomes the first American woman to address a legislative body. Her powerful speech about abolition […]
The National Parks of Boston and Plays in Place are excited to announce the production of the first play in the Suffrage in Black and White series At the Massachusetts State House, on February 21, 1838, exiled Southerner Angelina Grimké becomes the first American woman to address a legislative body. Her powerful speech about abolition […]
Farewell Tour Visits
Farewell Tour Visits
Welcome at the Shirley-Eustis House
Breakfast at Shirley-Eustis House
Visit the Boston Commons
Visits Charlestown MA
Visits Medford MA
Visits Quincy MA
Visits Lynn, MA
Visits Newburyport
Visits Chelsea, MA
To supplement the meager armed forces, most early 19th-century farmers and craftsmen were required by law to serve in local militia units – the forerunner of today’s National Guard. Militia musters often saw the various militia companies of several towns coming together for a regimental muster. These would have been grand spectacles with townspeople coming […]
Visits Marblehead, MA
Visits Salem, MA: Picnic
Visits Beverly, MA
Visits Ipswich, MA
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Powder Alarm, the Somerville Museum is partnering with the City of Somerville to produce a re-enactment of the historic event, followed by a living history fair. The fair will include docent tours of the Powder House, activity tables, and even a scavenger hunt of the park! The re-enactment […]
Visits Arlington, MA
Visits Lexington, MA
200th Anniversary Townwide Celebration of Lafayettes's 1824 Farewell Tour in Concord
Visits Bolton, MA
Visits Lancaster, MA
Visits Sterling, MA
Visits West Boylston, MA
Visits Worcester, MA
Visits Rochdale, MA
Visits Charlton, MA
Visits Sturbridge, MA
This year marks the Bicentennial celebration of the Marquis de Lafayette’s Farewell Tour of the United States! Throughout his yearlong tour of all 24 states, Americans honored Lafayette with a parade and great fanfare at almost every stop he made. Local craftspeople also produced many types of commemorative memorabilia, such as the pictured drum, baby […]
On Saturday, September 7th at 10am in the Old Burying Ground join the Arlington 250th Committee and His Majesty’s 10th Regiment of Foot during the unveiling and commemoration of the memorial to the fallen British soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Battle of Menotomy on April 19th, 1775. Welcome Angela Olszewski Co-Chair, Arlington […]
Living History Timeline Exhibition and Encampment Event Experience the uniforms, equipment, music, and lifestyles of soldiers from the Ancient Roman Legions thru Vietnam eras, encamped on historic Redway Plain! Walk among the camps and time travel through history to experience what life was like during many eras of history all at one event! Various demonstrations, […]
Living History Timeline Exhibition and Encampment Event Experience the uniforms, equipment, music, and lifestyles of soldiers from the Ancient Roman Legions thru Vietnam eras, encamped on historic Redway Plain! Walk among the camps and time travel through history to experience what life was like during many eras of history all at one event! Various demonstrations, […]
The Board of 51 Walden and the Concord Orchestra are arranging for well-known Canadian pianist Louise Bessette to play Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata at 51 Walden on Sunday afternoon September 8, 2024. As part of the year-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of the fight at the Old North Bridge, Canadian pianist Louise Bessette will […]
Come join us in celebrating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution! We can’t wait to share our new Colonial Style Brown Ale brewed with molasses. Food truck: Twizted Pickle; Hand Crafted Sandwiches and Pickle Specialty Food Truck
Named a best book of the year by The Wall Street Journal, one of the most acclaimed and original colonial historians of our time, Mary Beth Norton, shares her landmark text 1774: The Long Year of Revolution chronicling the changes that occurred from December 1773 to April 1775—from the Boston Tea Party to the Battles […]
Learn about Marbleheaders during the Revolutionary War and visit various historic sites in town during this weekend-long event. Pick up a program book and experience Revolutionary War-era Marblehead at various sites in the Historic District. Meet the wife of war hero, James Mugford; explore Fort Sewall with Glover’s Regiment; meet diarist Ashley Bowen portrayed by […]
Chelsea Day
What makes someone who becomes famous, famous? Harvard law professor, public intellectual, and bestselling author Cass Sunstein offers clear and surprising answers in his new book How To Become Famous: Lost Einsteins, Forgotten Superstars, and How the Beatles Came to Be. Using modern data analysis techniques to show the role of accident and serendipity in […]
Historian Mary Fuhrer returns to explore this critical point in Acton history in the next edition of the Acton 250 lecture series. Remote Participation: You can participate in the Q&A using ZOOM http://tinyurl.com/Acton250-ZOOM or watch live at Acton TV http://tinyurl.com/Acton-TV. Please see https://www.actonma.gov/250 for all programming information and a link to our commemorative store. What happened in Acton on that fateful day, […]
More than 20 Fyfe and Drum corps parade past the 300 year-old Inn, where flintlock muskets thunder and Militia and Redcoats clash on the muster filed.
More than 20 Fyfe and Drum corps parade past the 300 year-old Inn, where flintlock muskets thunder and Militia and Redcoats clash on the muster filed.
The 98th Hingham Historic House Tour features six private homes once occupied by American Revolutionary War Patriots. Each of the stunning private homes featured on the tour, as well as the Society’s two House Museums: the Benjamin Lincoln House, and The Old Ordinary, in addition to the Old Ship Meeting House were all built before […]
Join the Acton 250 Committee and the Acton Memorial Library for this 21+ after hours library event featuring the Acton 250's Isaac Davis Brown Ale from Dirigible Brewing, the Acton Minutemen, colonial music, the unveiling of the new Isaac Davis Plow mural, food and more! Free entry. Merch available for purchase. A portion of ale […]
Renowned presidential historian and Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky, joins us for a conversation on John Adams’ five year-battle to defend the presidency. 1797 wasn’t too different from 2024, with pandemics, battles over immigration and citizenship, legislation to limit free speech, foreign interference in national […]
Freedom Concert: Terry Borderline and the Suns Date: Saturday, October 5 Time: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Location: Monument Square, Concord MA Join us for an electrifying performance by Terry Borderline and the Suns. This seven-piece band will perform a set of original songs about freedom, spirituality, nature, and social justice, including an original piece […]
Tour the site of the Great Salem Fire, October 6, 1774 with retired park ranger, Curtis White. The fire destroyed shops, a meeting-house, dwellings, and the Custom House. Was the fire a diversionary tactic to deter the arrest of Massachusetts delegates who met in defiance of the Massachusetts Government Act? The 1.25-mile walking tour will […]
On October 7, 1774, ninety chosen representatives met at Salem in defiance of General Gage’s order. They elected John Hancock to serve as chairman. They resolved to form themselves into “a Provincial Congress...to take into consideration the dangerous and alarming situation of public affairs in this province, and to consult and determine on such measures […]
Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. in South Acton. Register at ActonMemorialLibrary.org
The 2024 Massachusetts Provincial Congress “Exploring Democracy – Our Rights and Our Responsibilities” October 11, 2024 9:30am – 4:30pm First Parish in Concord and The Wright Tavern *Register here to attend* In October 1774, the political conflict between Great Britain and Massachusetts reached a crisis. Parliament enacted the “Intolerable Acts” to punish the province for […]
Join us for two days of special programs at Minute Man’s Historic Hartwell Tavern covering the experiences of everyday people as they prepared for winter and for war in 1774.
Autumn in Colonial New England was a time of change and transition when many gathered to share the fruits of summer labor and prepare to survive the coming winter. In 1774 it was also a time of preparation for the coming conflict.
Celebrate the 250th anniversary of the rebellious act of raising the “Liberty and Union” flag over the City of Taunton this October.
The Liberty & Union Festival, hosted by the Old Colony History Museum, is an annual event that transports you back in time to 1774 through historical reenactors, music, food, beer, and much more.
Freedom Concert: Terry Borderline and the Suns Date: Saturday, October 5 Time: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Location: Monument Square, Concord MA Join us for an electrifying performance by Terry Borderline and the Suns. This seven-piece band will perform a set of original songs about freedom, spirituality, nature, and social justice, including an original piece […]
The renowned author of the classic “The Minutemen and their World” will share the unique conflicts and changes Acton and Concord citizens experienced in their economic and social lives that led up to dramatic events of 250 years ago. Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7-8:30 PM Room 204, Acton Town Hall https://www.actonma.gov/250
Battle of Red Horse Tavern
Come celebrate General John Glover's Birthday upcoming 292nd birthday (November 5) at the Swampscott Public Library, 61 Burrill Street, Swampscott, Massachusetts. There will be an illustrated talk by members of Save the Glover and birthday cake! Free! All invited!
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Powder Alarm, the Somerville Museum is partnering with the City of Somerville to produce a re-enactment of the historic event, followed by a living history fair. The fair will include docent tours of the Powder House, activity tables, and even a scavenger hunt of the park! What was the […]
Discover Boston’s rich 400-year African American history! Many vibrant Black communities flourished in Boston stretching back to early colonial times. Wednesday, Nov. 6, 6 PM Acton Memorial Library
Concord Events happening November 9, 10, and 11 to honor our Veterans
Northeastern University Professor Malcolm F. Purinton discusses the role of the tavern in local society as the colonies headed into the American Revolution. There were few places more important in colonial and revolutionary America than local community taverns that played witness to local, regional, and national events in American history. Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7PM Acton […]
REV250 Lecture: J.J. Bell, Historian and blogger, presents "The Spies in Henry Barnes House: as part of the Hingham Historical Society 2024-2025 lecture series: Revisiting the American Revolution. The lecture series is an in-depth and expanded look at our Nation's founding drama; the series features renowned historians and writers each of who will share fascinating […]
Join us for a special award ceremony followed by a conversation between two Pulitzer Prize-winning biographical authors. In recognition of her career as an essayist and award-winning author, Stacy Schiff will be presented with the William Hickling Prescott Award for Excellence in Historical Writing by The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in […]
Meet with thousands of social studies educators, administrators, and professionals from across the country to inspire your usage of best practices and rejuvenate with others in the social studies profession.
A talk by Andover independent historian Chris Boehmer Sunday, November 24 ~ 1:30-3:00pm Not all Native Americans in Massachusetts were invited to celebrate the harvest with English colonists. Some were enslaved by the colonists. In Andover in the 17th and 18th centuries, wealthy white families commonly enslaved one or more Africans or Native Americans. In […]
Congregational churches could be found in nearly every town across New England in the 1770s. The stories of Patriot ministers who inspired their congregations to Revolution have long been told. Increasingly we are learning more about the experience of the people sitting in the pews and how being part of a Congregational church community shaped […]
Native people remained in distinct communities during Revolutionary times. They sought to secure their rights, although in vastly diverse ways. Over a 30- year career, Professor Daniel Mandell has produced a body of work that tells the story of New England Native Americans from the time of first European contact through the formation of the […]
A talk by Joann Michalik If you missed our 18th century tavern night in April, here's your chance to experience it . . . with a holiday twist. The introduction of stage coaches along major roadways leads to taverns as inns, houses of entertainment and political headquarters. Learn about the role of rum in the […]
A once-in-a-lifetime paint restoration project is currently underway at the Old North Church in Boston! Expert conservators are painstakingly removing layers of white overpaint to reveal some of the church’s colonial-era artwork. By the spring of 2025, the team will uncover 16 angels in the balcony arches that were painted in the late 1720s and […]
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